Panaji: To consolidate the existing laws that apply to the
tourism sector
, and to give authorities more powers to deal with unauthorised activities, the
tourism department
plans to introduce the
Goa Tourism Promotion
, Management and Regulation (GTPMR) Bill. The draft bill, which has been put in public domain for feedback, hopes to integrate and revamp the existing policies that govern various segments of the
tourism industry
.
From a Goa Tourism Development Fund to introducing a sustainable fee, the bill proposes several new initiatives to steer one of the state’s crucial economic pillar.
The department will also move to repeal the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982 (Goa Act 10 of 1982) and The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001 (Goa Act 56 of 2001) during the monsoon session of assembly.
“We want to make the existing laws into one comprehensive document. The aim is to give the tourism department and the tourism board more teeth to enable better enforcement,” said tourism director Suneel Anchipaka.
He said that the department hopes that, once passed, the new law will help in controlling touts. The draft bill admits that tourists visiting Goa “significantly outnumber” local residents, which is why it has proposed to create
tourist clusters
where “targeted tourism development” can take place. The department hopes that demarcation of tourism clusters will ensure safety of tourists and also enable control over tourism activities.
The department also proposed to levy a ‘Tourism Development and Sustainability Fee’ on tourism activities in Goa. A Goa Tourism Development Fund could also be in the offing. Industry players, stakeholders and experts have till July 6 to submit feedback.
The new bill intends to give statutory backing to the tourism board, which was established through the Goa Tourism Policy in 2020. The aim is to promote structured growth and development of tourism, regulation of trade and services and simultaneously adopt data-driven decision-making and grievance redressal mechanisms for tourists, said Anchipaka.
The department also plans to increase the number of committees, which will provide technical inputs and recommendations to the Tourism Board. A grievance redressal cell to investigate and address complaints raised by tourists against a registered tourism business is also on the anvil. The department has proposed fines up to Rs 10 lakhs for violating norms.
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